y to do him much harm.
"Oi'll wa-ark, measter, loike a good un, so long as you gie Oi grub and
let Oi be."

"Work! What can you, a bricklayer according to your own statement, do
aboard ship? We've got no bricks to lay here."

"Mab'be, measter, you moight try un, though," pleaded the poor fellow,
scratching his head again; and then adding, as if a brilliant thought
all at once occurred to him from the operation, "Oi be used to
scaffoldin' and can cloimb loike sailor cheaps."

"Ah, you must speak to the captain about that," replied Mr Mackay
drily, turning aft and giving some whispered instructions to Tim Rooney
to let the stowaway have some more food later on and give him a shake-
down in the forecastle for the night, so that he might be in better
fettle for his audience with Captain Gillespie on the morrow. "You can
stop here with the men till the morning, and then you will know what
will be done in the matter."

"Well," cried Captain Gillespie as soon as Mr Mackay stepped up the
poop ladder, "how's that rascal getting on?"

"I think he'll come round now, sir," said the first mate, thinking it
best not to mention how quickly his patient had recovered, so that he
might have a few hours' reprieve before encountering the captain's
wrath. "I've told the boatswain to give him a bunk in the fo'c's'le for
the night, and that you'll talk to him in the morning."

"Oh, aye, I'll talk to him like a Dutch uncle," retorted the captain,
sniffing away at a fine rate, as if Mr Mackay was as much in fault as
the unfortunate cause of his ire. "You know I never encourage stowaways
on board my ship, sir; and when I say a thing I mean a thing."

"Yes, sir; certainly, sir," said Mr Mackay soothingly, taking no notice
of his manner to him and judiciously turning the conversation. "Do you
think, though, sir, we can carry those topgallants much longer? The
wind seems to have freshened again after sunset, the same as it did last
night."

"Carry-on? Aye, of course we can. The old barquey could almost stand
the royals as well, with this breeze well abeam," replied "Old Jock,"
who never agreed with anyone right out if he could possibly help,
especially now when he was in a bit of temper about the stowaway; but,
the next instant, like the thorough seaman he was, seeing the wisdom of
the first mate's advice, he qualified what he had previously said. "If
it freshens more, though, between this and eight bells, you can take in
the to